Moistening device.



N 781,250 PATEYINTED JANQSl, 1905.

T. PJWELOH.

MOIST ENING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED mm; 13, 1904.

- UNITED STATES Patented J anuary. 31, 1905.

PAT NT OFFIC MOISTENING DEV-ICE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 781,250, dated January 31, 1905.

Application filed June 13,1904. Serial No. 212,302.

T at whom it may concern:

Beit known that I, THOMAS F. WELCH, of Southington, in the county of Hartford and State of Connecticut, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Moistening Devices; and I do hereby declare the following, when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings and the numerals of reference marked thereon, to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, and which said drawings constitute part of this specification, and

represent, in

Figure 1, a perspective view of a moistening device constructed inaccordance with my invention; Fig. 2, a side view of the same; Fig. 3, a broken planview of one of the modified forms which the device may assume; Fig. 4:, a corresponding view of another modified form of the device; Fig. 5, acorresponding view of still another modified form of the device: Fig. 6, a broken inside view of an en. v'elop-flap, illustrating the manner in which the device is used for moistening the band of gum along the edge of the flap.

My invention relates to a device primarily designed to be used for moistening' the gummed surfaces of all sizes of envelops, but also adapted to be used in a variety of situations calling for the quick and convenient application of a thin film of Water to a flat surface-as, for instance, to the gummed surface of a postage-stamp or to,the place on an envelop where a stamp is to go.

The object of my invention is to produce at a low cost a simple, compact, light, and convenient device requiring no skill for its operation, adapted to be readily cleaned and safe to use for the reason that it will take up and surrender a predetermined quantity of water and no more.

With these ends in view my invention consists in a moistening device having certain details of construction and combinations 'of parts, as will be hereinafter described, and pointed out in the claims. 7

In carrying out my invention as herein shown the device is made by bending a piece of light wire so as to form a triangular film-frame 2, a film-loop 3 longer thanany one side of the.

frame, and a shank 4:, which is inserted into a stem or handle 5, the frame 2.and loop being located in the same horizontal plane and the shank 4: being bent upward from this plane for insertion into the handle, which stands at anoblique angle to the'plane of the frame and loop.

The said frame and loop are adapted in size so that whenfdipped into water a film of water will adhere to the inner edges of the frame and another film will adhere to the inner edges of the loop in 'which the film being smaller will perhaps be thicker than the film in the frame, so

that in a sense the loop will afford a source to moisten the gum on the flap of an ordinary small envelop, but not enough to moisten the gum onthe flap of an ordinary large envelop say of legal size. Therefore in order to adapt the device to be used interchangeably for large or small envelops I prefer to com bine the frame'and the loop in each device. After the device has been dipped in water and it has taken up a portion thereof in the form of two films. the device is placed upon the gummed surface 6 of the envelop-flap 7, and preferably at the left-hand side of the said gummed surface. The device is now moved from left to right until it has traversed the entire gummed surface and evenly distributed thereover the major part or all of the water carried by it. The gum, which is applied to the flap in the'form of a band, isa little wider at the point of the flap than elsewhere. In its transit over the gummed surface the projecting point of the loop will reach out to the extreme point of the flap of the envelop, so that the entire gummed surface will be moistened without deflecting the heel of the device from following the inner Y edge of the band or gum.

While I prefer, as already described, to

form shown by Fig. 3 of the drawings the device consists of a triangular frame 8, formed with a bent shank 9, entering a handle 10. I do not limit myself to forming the frame of the device in the form of a triangle or to forming it from a single piece of wire. Thus in the modified form of the device shown by Fig. i the film-frame 11 is made in the form of a heart from a very light piece of wire, one side of the heart being applied to a foot 12, having its lower face flattened in the plane of the frame 11 and formed from a heavy piece of wire in one piece with a shank 18, which enters the handle 14.

In the modified construction shown by Fig. 5 the device has a rectangular frame 15 made from a single piece of wire and merging into a shank 16, entering the handle 17.

I have spoken of my device as being particularly adapted to moistening the gummed surfaces of the flaps of envelops; but it is apparent that it may be used in a variety of situations where it is desired to evenly distribute a small amount of water over a comparatively large surface, whether gummed or not.

It is to be particularly noted that the device cannot take up an excessive amount of water, so that there is never any danger in using it in getting too much water on, as the amount of water taken up by the device is always the same or substantially the same and as the amount of water taken up may always be accurately predetermined by properly gaging the size and form of the filmframe and film-loop of the device.

I have spoken of using the device on paper surfaces; but it is equally adapted to be used on other surfacesfor instance, on the surfaces of cloth in affixing trade-mark or price labels.

It is apparent from the modifications suggested that my device may assume still other forms; but in any form that the device may assume it will have an open frame, the lower face of which will lie in one plane. I therefore do not wish to be understood as limiting my invention to the forms shown and described, but hold myself at liberty to make such departures therefrom as fairly fall within the spirit and scope of my invention.

While I have shown and described the device as formed from wire, it is apparent without illustration that it might be struck up from sheet metal.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A moistening device having an open frame the under face of which lies in one plane, whereby the frame is adapted to pick up a film of water and spread the same when passed over a flat surface.

2. Amoistening device having a film-frame and a film-loop located in the same plane, and each adapted to pick up a film of water and to spread the same when passed over a flat surface.

3. A moistening device having a triangular frame adapted to pick up a film of water and to spread the same when passed over a flat surface.

f. A moistening device having a film-frame and a film-loop arranged in the same plane, each adapted to pick up a film of water and to spread the same when passed over the flat surface, the point of the loop reaching beyond the frame.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

THOMAS F. VVELCH Witnesses:

GEORGE D. SEYMOUR,

TLARA L. WEED. 

